


Bad Blood

by AlexisErin



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Assassins & Hitmen, Established Relationship, Explicit Language, F/M, Romance, Sexual Content, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2020-11-26 12:14:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20930051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexisErin/pseuds/AlexisErin
Summary: Arya is getting out of the game to settle down with Gendry. But she must come clean about her past to him. Her hand is forced when the Faceless Men come for Gendry.





	1. Three Deaths

**Author's Note:**

> I know what y’all are thinking. “Another story when she has two other WIPs?” Yeah I have a problem. But I’m kinda writing all 3 concurrently. While I might get stuck on one, inspiration will strike for one of the others. It works.

* * *

If you had told Arya Stark five years ago that one day she would be flipping through a home decor magazine, looking for decoration ideas, she would have laughed in your face. On second thought, she probably would have slit your throat for even suggesting such nonsense. But here she was, sitting a car, flipping through a home decor magazine and armed with a red marker.

_Growing herbs in jars... Clever..._

Arya had never thought about settling down. Her current line of work just did not really allow for it. She’d also never thought she’d find someone she wanted to settle down with. Dating had never been a high priority. Again, in her line of work, a significant other was a liability; a weakness that could be exploited and used against her. Arya had no desire to complicate her life with such a thing.

That was before she met a mechanic named Gendry Waters. Raven-haired, blue-eyed, and stubborn as a bull, he’d made himself right at home in her heart. Against her better judgement, she’d put her heart above her work for the first time. In doing so, the last five years had been the happiest she’d ever been. Gendry was why she was quitting her current occupation. He was why this was her final job. Her tenure was over with this job and she was free to go.

The only problem she had left was how she was going to tell Gendry who she really was.

_“You should’ve told him years ago,”_ her sister Sansa was saying in her ear. _“How do you think he’ll take it?”_

Arya sighed. “I have no idea. Gendry is weird like that. I generally know how he’ll react to things but sometimes he throws me a curveball,” she answered. “And this is something really heavy to lay on him.”

_“Especially after five years. I can’t believe you’ve gone this long without telling him. You didn’t trust him?”_

“Well, certainly not at first. But he earned my trust a long time ago. You’re right. I should’ve told him. I’ll do it as soon as I get back.”

_“Will you tell him everything?”_

Arya closed her eyes. She knew what Sansa meant by everything. Her real name. Her life story. Her real job. Gendry believed she was just a traveling masseuse. That could not be further from the truth. “I’ll come clean about everything. I just hope he still wants me afterwards.”

_“From what you’ve told me about him, he loves you more than life itself. He’ll be pissed, but I don’t think he’ll throw away everything you guys have built so easily. He’ll give you a chance. Be patient with him,”_ Sansa reassured her.

“You’re right. Doesn’t make it any less daunting, though. Gendry has a hell of a temper.” Arya looked at her watch. “I have to go, Sansa. Duty calls.” She ended the call without waiting for her sister to bid her farewell. She never let Sansa say goodbye. She opened the glove compartment and stuffed the magazine inside. She took a deep breath and got out of the car.

* * *

Gendry Waters tossed an empty box against the wall of his new living room. It had been filled with books; books that now were lined up neatly in the bookcase he stood in front of. He nodded at his work and walked over to the new leather couch that had been delivered earlier that day and sat down hard. Being brand new, it still smelled like a warehouse. It would take him a while to get used to it.

_I wouldn’t have to if Arry had just let me keep my other couch_, he thought with a frown.

That had been Arry’s one condition of moving in together. He had to get rid of his old couch. It was a perfectly good couch as far as he had been concerned. Sure, there were stains of various shady nature and the pillows were a little worn. But it had been one of his first pieces of furniture he bought on his own. But Arry said it had to go.

“It smells. You’re nose blind to it because you live here but every time I come over it’s all I smell,” Arry had complained. Gendry loved his couch, but he loved Arry more. So after a strangely emotional farewell, he’d taken it to a landfill just outside of the town.

Truth be told, Arry had surprised him by agreeing to not only move in with him, but get a new townhouse altogether. They had found a good neighborhood in Rosby, a town not far from King’s Landing. He’d never thought of Arry as caring very much about home decor, but she’d really taken to decorating the new townhouse. He’d seen her old apartment and it was almost spartan; barely any decor and everything in muted, solid colors.

Gendry was thinking about what he was going to do with the sledgehammer that was leaning against the wall (Arry kept telling him to move it) when he heard his cell ringing somewhere in the distance. He stood up and went in search of it. After digging through a pile of empty boxes, he found the ringing phone. He was a little shocked to see who was calling. Taking a deep breath, he answered it.

“Mr. Arryn?”

There was a rough clearing of a throat on the other end. _“Hello, Gendry. I’m afraid I have some bad news,”_ the older man said.

* * *

Arya was usually quick and methodical with her assignments. She could have easily taken Meryn Trant out with a simple sniping from a distance. But no, she wanted to savor this kill after what this man had done. Even if he hadn't wronged her personally, Arya would have probably relished in his death. What kind of grown man takes pleasure in beating and torturing young girls?

It had been easy enough to get close to him. Trant frequented a brothel that secretly and illegally catered to his perverse proclivities. Already a small person, all Arya had to do was don a face to Trant's liking. From what she observed, he had a thing for blondes. The owner of the brothel had her wait in the room where Trant would be coming to see her. She had waited patiently, sitting on the bed dressed in simple shorts and a t-shirt. That had been a surprise. She would've thought he preferred her to be dressed in something more juvenile.

When Trant had come in, he'd wasted no time. Arya had dealt with him smacking her around. He'd beat her with a cane. He'd told her to get on her knees and she'd silently obeyed. She noticed that her silence irritated him; he clearly got off on the screams of his victims. Just as he was fumbling with his clothes, Arya struck swiftly. When he exposed himself to her, she brandished a knife from seemingly nowhere and relieved him of the offending appendage. He'd screamed and fell while Arya stood and watched him squirm. She produced two more knives and stabbed one into each of Trant’s hands, pinning him down.

Across the room, Arya’s phone rang. She watched Trant writhe for a moment before going over to the bag where her phone was. She saw who was calling and disengaged her disguise. She located Trant's lost cock and stuffed it into his mouth, muffling his cries of agony. Then she straddled him and answered her phone.

“Hey, Gen. What’s up?” she asked neutrally while pushing her right thumb into Trant's left eye. He squirmed around beneath her but she kept him still. There was silence on the other end but Arya could hear Gendry’s shaky breathing. “Gendry? What is it? Is everything okay?”

_“Yeah. No. No, it’s not okay.”_ He stumbled through the words. _“Robert is dead.”_

Arya blinked a few times. Robert was his father. The father that had barely been in his life, but his father nonetheless. “I’m so sorry. Are you okay?” Trant's eyes popped, spraying blood on Arya's chest. She repeated the action with his right eye.

There was another pause. _“I don’t really know. Mr. Arryn said they think it was alcohol poisoning. He literally drank himself to death."_

“But he hasn’t he been sober for almost a year?” Arya stabbed Trant in his left pectoral.

_“That’s what I thought.”_

Arya heard him sigh in frustration while she slowly twisted the knife in Trant's chest. “He was looking better and everything. What could’ve caused him to relapse so badly?”

_“I don’t know.”_ There was another pause, but Arya did not push him to talk._ “Mr. Arryn said I could go to the wake, but Cersei doesn’t want me at the funeral.”_

Arya snorted while withdrawing the knife. “Sounds like something that bitch would do. Are you going to go?”

_“Yeah. He wasn’t shit for most of my life but Mom loved him so... Yeah I’ll go.”_

“Want me to come home?” She stabbed Trant in his left pectoral and twisted.

_“No. I’ll be fine. It’s just the wake. And Mr. Arryn said he left me something as well.”_

Arya raised an eyebrow. “Really? Interesting. I’ll see you next Wednesday then?” She drew the knife slowly across Trant's neck, cutting a couple of important arteries. She watched as blood flowed freely from the wound.

_“Yeah. Love you.”_

“Love you too.” Arya hung up just as Trant went still beneath her. She got to her feet and put her disguise back on. "Perhaps i should visit the owner of this establishment…"

* * *

The Qyburn Funeral Home was packed when Gendry arrived for Robert’s wake. The Baratheon family was an old family with old money in Westeros. So old that it had its own sigil and motto. _"Ours is the fury,_" Robert had told him when he was younger. Apparently Baratheons were quite the passionate bunch. Gendry looked around for some familiar faces. He spotted his uncles Stannis and Renly standing near the front where they were receiving guests. Across from them sat Cersei. Myrcella and Tommen sat on either side of her. Gendry thankfully could not spot his other half-brother Joffrey. Gendry straightened the black blazer he wore and walked further into the crowded room.

He got a few strange looks as he made his way to the front of the room. He could only assume it was because he resembled Robert so much._ They probably think they're seeing a ghost,_ he thought morbidly.

Renly was the first to notice him. "Hello, Gendry. How are you feeling?" he asked.

Gendry shrugged. "I don't think it's really set in for me yet. It's so sudden, you know? I thought he was getting better," he said.

"He was." Both Gendry and Renly looked over at Stannis when they heard his gruff voice. "Robert had not taken a drink in almost a year. I don't believe for a second he just drank himself into oblivion," he said. Gendry noticed her was glaring in the direction of Cersei.

"Though I wouldn't put it past her, you can't just accuse people of murder, Stannis. I've never liked her either but even I don't think she's that evil," Renly said. "Here comes Jon."

Sure enough, Jon Arryn was making his way over to them. The old man had been Robert's retainer. Growing up, Gendry had seen more of this man than he had Robert. He seemed to look older every time Gendry saw him. "Good evening, Gendry. I'm glad you could make it."

"It's no problem, Mr. Arryn."

"I apologize about you not being able to attend the funeral. Cersei was… adamant about you not being allowed. Thankfully she conceded about the wake. But on Monday I will be executing Robert's will. He left you something and I need you to be there for it," Jon said. He looked at Stannis and Renly. "It'd be best if you two were also there."

Gendry milled about for the next hour, listening to people wax nostalgic about Robert and his finer qualities while also marveling at how much he resembled his late father. He comforted his cousin Shireen and Myrcella, much to Cersei's dismay. He tried to avoid Cersei entirely, but as the wake was coming to a close, she finally decided to seek him out herself. He was getting ready to leave when she came up behind him.

"It's like you live to torture me," she said. Gendry turned to face her but said nothing. He knew she got off on getting a rise out of him. He was not going to give her the satisfaction today. She stared at him for a moment in silence before that insufferable smirk came to her face. "It's almost scary how much you resemble him in his younger days. Still, every time I look at you all I can see is that whore."

Gendry would generally ignore Cersei when she would insult him. But one thing he would not tolerate is her insulting his mother. Robert was a known philanderer. His mother was hardly the only illicit affair he had. Gendry's mother had just been more of a mistress than a one-night stand like the others. If Gendry found out he had more siblings tomorrow it would not surprise him. But Cersei seemed to hold a special contempt for him and his mother for that reason.

"I'll chalk this up to your grief and not comment on it. Good night, Cersei." Gendry turned to walk away from her.

But Cersei would not be Cersei if she did not try to get a rise out of him. And she really knew how to do it. "Alicent was his favorite whore. Whatever gold mine she had between those pretty thighs kept him coming back for more."

"My mother was not a whore," Gendry said through grit teeth. They were beginning to draw an audience.

Cersei just smiled at him. "You're right. A whore would've at least had the good sense to get paid. All she got out of fucking my husband was _you_. She must've been quite disappointed. But she just kept spreading her legs for him for years. But what can you expect from some Flea Bottom _slut_ too stupid to realize..."

"Shut the fuck up!" Gendry yelled. The room was now completely silent. Gendry was squeezing his fists together, trying to contain his rage.

Cersei smirked, having gotten what she wanted. "There's that glorious Baratheon fury. I used to think you were nothing like him, but you're a beast just like he was."

"Cersei." Her twin brother Jaime had come up behind her. "Cersei, leave him alone," he said. Cersei turned around and walked off. Jaime sighed and looked at Gendry, who was glaring at the floor. "I'm sorry about her. She's just…"

"Save it." Gendry turned on his heel and stormed out of the funeral home, not bothering to heed the call of Renly.

* * *

Arya rolled over when she heard her phone ringing. She glanced at the alarm clock to see what time it was. It was a little after 2am. Picking up her phone she answered it and listened. There was just heavy breathing on the other end. "Gendry?"

"_Arry? I didn't… I mean… Shit..._" He was slurring and Arya immediately came to the conclusion that he was drunk. Gendry did not drink often. Because of Robert’s alcoholism, Gendry was convinced he would be predisposed to the addiction. So, he tended to steer clear of liquor except for rare occasions.

"What's going on, Gendry? Why have you been drinking?" Arya sat up and turned the lamp on the nightstand on. There was a long silence. "Gendry?"

"_Fucking Cersei_," Gendry grumbled. "_It's always fucking Cersei_."

Arya sighed. That woman seemed to live to make Gendry miserable for seemingly no other reason than his existence. "What did she do?"

"_Why is she so mean to me? What did I ever do to her?_"

"My guess is that you're a constant reminder of Robert's infidelity." Arya recalled how her own mother had treated her half-brother that her father had sired during a one-night stand when her parents were separated early in their marriage. It was before she was born so she was not privy to all the details. Her mother had never been as blatantly nasty as Cersei was to Gendry, but she certainly had not treated him with anything more than general disdain. "But, she shouldn't be taking it out on you.

On his end, Gendry let out a choked sob. "_It's not my fault Robert was a cheat._" He sniffled and Arya's heart broke a little. A sad Gendry was a heartbreaking thing to witness. She was more accustomed to him being angry. Arya could handle his anger. His sadness made her want to annihilate whatever was causing him distress. "_She called my mother a whore._"

"Your mother was not a whore, Gendry. She was a young girl that Robert took advantage of. You know that and nothing Cersei says can change that. Don't let her get to you. Are you still drinking?" she asked.

"_No. I drank the whole six-pack, though._" With that, Gendry let out a long belch. "_Excuse me,_" he mumbled.

Arya sighed. "Drink some water and get some sleep. You're lucky you don't have to work tomorrow." She heard him make some sort of snorting noise which told her he was falling asleep. "I'm hanging up now." Her response was a deep snore. Shaking her head, Arya ended the call.

* * *

After getting off work late on Monday, Gendry headed to Jon Arryn's office in downtown King's Landing. He parked his truck along the street and noticed Renly's car as well. He could only assume Cersei and Stannis had left already. He hurried inside and went straight to the office. Jon Arryn and Renly are talking. Both looked on his direction when he loudly came through the door.

"Sorry I'm late. Work ran over. Where’s Uncle Stannis?"

Renly snorted. "He went home. Jon read out what Robert left him already. Both he and Cersei are less than happy."

"Why's that?"

"Robert left him the Dragonstone property," Renly answered. Gendry waited for him to continue but Renly shrugged. "Just the property and the mines on it."

Gendry could see why Stannis would be mad about that. Personally, he would not have minded the Dragonstone property. An island home would be nice to have. "What about Cersei? She's his widow. Shouldn't she get pretty much everything?"

Mr. Arryn cleared his throat. "Some... distressing information came to light shortly before Robert died and he nearly wrote her out of his will."

"What information?"

"Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen aren't Robert's children. At least, not biologically. He left them trusts because they were raised as his children all their lives. I also convinced Robert to let Cersei keep the King's Landing home and a few hundred thousand. She did put up with his shit for years," Renly said.

Gendry shook his head. "Wait. They aren't his children? Then whose children are they?" Renly shrugged again. "What did he leave you?"

Renly smiled at this question. "He left me those cars I've been coveting and the Baratheon Estate in Storm's End. I think Stannis wanted Storm's End. But I have plans for that place that I can't wait to start."

"Which brings us to what he left you." Mr. Arryn handed Gendry a sheet of paper. "Go on and read it."

Gendry looked at the paper. It was Robert's will. He skimmed past the introduction and got to the body where he saw his name. His eyes widened when he read it all. Then he looked at Mr. Arryn and Renly. "Are you fucking serious?" he croaked. Renly simply smiled and nodded.

* * *

Arya was placing her tools down on the desk in front of her. The set consisted of various sharp tools. The ones she would be using were the scalpels. She took out a pair of gloves and put them on. Behind the desk sat her _job_. He was an old man and the only one left.

“Usually, I would do this after you’re already dead,” Arya said. The old man could not respond to her, but his eyes followed her every move. The poison she had given him had rendered him paralyzed, but only to movement. He could still hear, see, smell, and feel everything. “But for you, I’d make an exception.”

The old man was a gross nonagenarian named Walder Frey. He was trash in general, but Arya held a special hate for him. He was the reason her mother and older brother were dead. It seemed fitting that her final job for the Faceless Men be him and his horrible family. She could not have asked for a better retirement gift. She’d been told that his face was wanted as well and she would be lying if she said she had not been delighted to hear of the special request. But she would not take his face like she had others.

No. He was going to live while she removed the dry, wrinkly skin from his skull.

Arya’s phone ringing made her pause. She backed away from Walder Frey and went to her purse. Gendry was calling. She debated not answering, but she recalled that he was meeting with Mr. Arryn for the will. She was surprisingly curious to hear about it. Robert may not have been the best when Gendry was a child, but he had been making an effort in the last few years.

"Hello?"

"_He left me everything,_" Gendry said quickly.

Arya's eyes widened. That was unexpected. She figured Robert would leave him some sort of monetary inheritance and maybe a few shares in Baratheon Industries. "Everything? What does that mean?"

"_Well not everything. He gave my uncles and Cersei property. Renly also got some cars. He seemed really happy about that. Also, apparently my brothers and sister aren't really Robert's children. But anyway, he left me the company, the money, some real estate in King's Landing, a fucking superyacht… Arya, what the fuck?_" He sounded almost terrified.

"Calm down, Gendry. I'd rather not talk about this over the phone. Did Mr. Arryn say anything?"

"_He offered to help me sort it out if I want to pass it on but he wants me to really think about it. When will you back?_"

"In two days. It'll be okay. What did Cersei say?"

"_I don't know but Renly said that she and Stannis were pretty sore about it. Even though Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen aren't his, Robert did leave them trusts. He gave her the King's Landing house._" Gendry chuckled dryly. "_If anything I wish I'd been here to see her face when she was told._"

Arya smiled. "I bet you do."

"_I gotta get back home. Text me tonight._"

"Will do." Arya ended the call. She looked back at Walder Frey. "Now where was I?"

The old man’s eyes widened as she took hold of the scraggly white hair on his head and held him still. She pressed the scalpel against his forehead. Arya slowly began to drag the scalpel across his forehead, making a deep incision.

“I do regret not showing you what I did to your eldest sons. I used to think the walkway that connects the Twins was an odd architectural choice, but it proved to be quite useful. Hopefully the crows won’t pick their faces too clean. I want them to still be somewhat recognizable when their bodies are found,” Arya said as she continued to cut. The old man was probably close to passing out from the pain, but she did not care. She finished the incision around his face and sat the bloody scalpel down. “Now let’s get this off...”

* * *

The next day, Arya was stepping off a plane in Braavos. She pulled out her phone and saw that her final paycheck had been wired to her. All she had to do now was drop off Walder Frey's leathery face at headquarters and she'd officially be done. Just as she was opening the door to her car, her phone went off. She had a new message from headquarters. It was a general message that was sent out to all assassins. It was a new job. Curious, Arya opened the message.

Her blood ran cold.


	2. Half Truth

* * *

If Arya created her own league of assassins, a spa would probably not be high on the list of possible covers. She had always found it strange that the Faceless Men operated out of a luxury bathhouse called the House of Black & White. There were always so many people coming and going. It was just too much of a security risk. It didn't help that the design of the place included far too many blind spots. The architecture alone was a security hazard. The paranoia would drive her insane.

Ignoring the curious looks she got from patrons as she marched like a madwoman through the halls, Arya went to find her now-former boss. His office was deep inside the building and only accessible by a hidden staircase. Arya found it and stormed up the stairs and into the office without knocking. She had been prepared to wait but was somewhat pleasantly surprised to see him there already.

"You brought the Frey man's face, yes?" Jaqen H'ghar asked without looking away from the only window in the round office. Arya tossed the small bag she carried on her back on his desk. Seeing how this was only a short stop, she'd left the rest of her belongings in a locker at the airport. Jaqen turned to look at the bag. "Very good. Your final check will be wired to you. I must say that I am sad to..."

"Gendry Waters," Arya said suddenly, cutting him off. Jaqen raised an eyebrow in question. "An order was sent out for him today. Cancel it."

Jaqen stared blankly at Arya for a moment before narrowing his mismatched eyes. "Why?"

"That isn't important. Just cancel the hit."

"I can't do that."

"Then tell me who gave the order."

"I _definitely_ can't do that. I only send out the orders. I don't see who makes them. You know what the Kindly Man says. Once someone is marked _the gift_ is as good as given."

"Unacceptable." Arya stepped forward. "I thought this place only went after those who deserved it. I can tell you with certainty that Gendry has never done anything that warranted death."

Jaqen shook his head. "Silly girl. I know you aren't that naïve. That may have been what the Faceless Men were about hundreds of years ago. But now, it's more about who can pay for it," he said with a chuckle. "So who is this Gendry Waters to you? A friend? A lover? I didn't think someone as cold as you was capable of those emotions any longer."

Arya had not thought she was either until Gendry came into her life. "His role in my life isn't important. Just call off the hit," she said, sounding more desperate than she would like.

Jaqen shook his head again. "You know the Kindly Man. His god of death must be paid. He was paid for a life so a life must be taken. There's nothing I can do."

Arya nibbled on her lip for a moment. "A life for a life," she whispered. "What if I give you the life of whoever set the bounty on Gendry?"

The older man smirked. "You really must like this man. I don't see why the Kindly Man would not accept that in exchange. But I can't tell you who did. Most of these are made anonymously while others are highly confidential. Also, I still can't recall the order," he said.

She knew what that meant. _They won't stop coming until I find out. He might even be dead before I get back_. Arya mentally shook her head. _I can't think like that. He'll be fine_, she told herself. She nodded set Jaqen.

"Thank you, Jaqen."

Jaqen shrugged. "Consider it a retirement gift. A man will miss a girl." He watched Arya shake her head and leave the room. Once she was gone, he sighed. "I'm going to lose so many assassins because of this…"

* * *

Gendry pulled up the garage door of the new condo. He'd gotten off a little early and decided to move a few things from his old apartment to the townhouse before he went for dinner. The garage was currently filled with paint cans, brushes, empty boxes that Arry insisted could be used again if they were broken down properly, and cleaning materials. Gendry had started to put together a few industrial shelves against the far wall.

_Might as well finish that up so I can put some of these things up to make space_, he thought. He searched around for his toolbox and found it hidden amongst the empty boxes. He went over to the half finished shelf and got to work.

As was common whenever Gendry was working with tools, he lost track of time. He noticed his vision was becoming a little obscured by the fading light of the day. He looked around and saw that the sun was low in the sky and the streetlights were starting to come on. Gendry looked back at the shelves he was working on. He had managed to put two of them together and had started on a third. Deciding this was a good place to stop, he began organizing the supplies on the shelves.

Gendry was placing an unlabeled white jug on the shelf when he heard his phone going off. He found it in his toolbox and smiled when he saw week was calling. While heading inside, her answered the call. "Hey, Arry. I was…"

"_Where are you?_" Arry cut him off.

"I'm, uh, at the new place. Thought I'd try getting the garage a little cleaner. I put up…"

"_Go inside. Lock the doors. I'll be there soon._"

Gendry did not know whether to smile or be concerned. Arry sounded stressed and it was worrying to him. "Arry, what's going on? I thought you weren't coming back until…"

* * *

Arya's eyes widened when Gendry suddenly stopped talking. The sound of the phone falling made her flinch. It sounded like some things were being knocked over. "Gendry! Gendry!"

The line went dead.

Arya was at least another 10 minutes away from the new townhouse. Along with an early flight, she had rented a car in order to get home faster. With every bad scenario going through her mind, she turned that 10 minutes into 7.

The street was completely dark. None of the streetlights were on, which was odd. Arya cautiously pulled into the driveway of their townhouse. The garage was open but the lights were off. Arya got out of the rented coupe and slowly approached the garage. She drew her handgun and looked around. Gendry had not been lying about tidying up the garage. There was no sign of Gendry but the door leading into the house was slightly ajar. Arya headed towards it and slowly pushed it open.

The house was also dark. Arya felt around on the wall for the light switch for the hallway. When she clicked it on, she held back a gasp. There was a bloody knife on the floor and smeared blood on the walls. Arya looked down and saw a trail of it. Swallowing her fears, Arya continued further into the house. She came to the living room and tripped over something. She looked down and saw it was a sledgehammer.

A sledgehammer covered in blood... and something that looked suspiciously like brain tissue.

"_Get rid of that hideous hammer_, you said. _You don't need a sledgehammer_, you said." Gendry was sitting on the new leather couch.

Arya could not see him clearly so she turned on a lamp. She took in his condition and moved to his side. "Are you okay? Where is…"

"The person whose skull is on my sledgehammer?" Gendry motioned with his head to some point behind Arya. Arya turned to see the body of Gendry's would-be assassin. From her position, she could see the pool of blood that had formed underneath them. Gendry watched as she silently went to look at the body. He noticed the handgun she was carrying. "Why do you have a gun?"

Arya ignored Gendry's question for the time being. Instead, she explored the body. The faceless disguise had fallen away and revealed what was left of the assassin's face. There was a garrote wire near his left hand. It was not a Faceless Man that Arya was familiar with, but she could tell they were relatively new. A seasoned assassin would never have used garrote wire for someone of Gendry's stature.

"Arry?" Gendry called. Arya looked over at him. He was frowning at her. "Do you know something about what the fuck just happened?"

Considering he had just killed a person, Gendry seemed remarkably calm. He appeared more concerned with her. She was going to have to come clean with him but she had no idea where to start. "I have an idea. But, now isn't the time to get into it. We have to get somewhere safe right now," she said hurriedly. Arya was trained to read people and she considered herself good at. But the look Gendry was giving her at the moment was utterly foreign. Luckily, he seemed to accept her answer without a word. He just got to his feet.

Gendry noticed Arya looking him over. His hands were bloody from cuts. There was also an angry red mark on his neck from where the garrote wire had dug into his skin. His left cheek was a little swollen and his lip was busted. Other than that he seemed to be okay.

"Let's go."

* * *

Gendry was hardly aware of Arya taking them to a motel outside of King's Landing. The adrenaline had started to wear off and the pain in his hands and face was starting to become more noticeable. He groaned in displeasure when she returned to the car with a key. She drove around the building and parked on the far end.

"Come on. I'll fix up your hands inside," Arya said as she got out of the car. Gendry was slower to move. He watched her to see what room they would be in before getting out of the car and following her.

The room was nicer than Arya expected it to be considering they were at a motel that paid by the hour. There were two double beds, a round table, and a small tv sitting on a small chest. Gendry went to wash his hands while Arya went in back outside to get the first aid kit. When she came back, she found Gendry sitting on the bed furthest from the door. She bolted the door and moved to sit in front of Gendry. He was looking down at his hands.

"This isn't nearly as bad as it looks. I guess these calluses are good for something," Arya said as she began cleaning the cuts. She knew she needed to explain his predicament but she had no idea how to go about opening that can of worms. Gendry's unnerving silence was not helping. When she finished putting bandages on his hands, she looked up at his face. "Are you okay?" That was the best she could come up with.

Gendry stared at Arya for a long moment before speaking. "What just happened and how do you know about it?" he asked.

Arya sighed. "An assassin from the Faceless Men attacked you. I know this because I use to work for them. Gendry, there's a lot you don't know about me."

"No time like the present to find out," he said in a cold voice.

Arya nodded and got to her feet. She sat across from Gendry on the other bed. "First, my name isn't Arry Snow. It's Arya Stark. I was never a traveling masseuse. I worked for the Faceless Men. I just retired yesterday. Coincidentally, I also found out that someone put a hit out on you. That's why I'm back a day early. To save you. But, you seemed to have handled that just fine without me," she answered with a nervous chuckle at the end.

He did not smile. "We've been together for five years and you've never thought to tell me your real name?" Gendry asked.

_Of course that would be the first thing he latches on to_, Arya thought while resisting the urge to smile. Somehow she did not think Gendry would take it well if she laughed at him.

"I couldn't afford to tell you. It was too dangerous."

"Too dangerous? Or did you just not trust me?"

Arya sighed. "Not at first, Gendry. Listen. You know I don't trust easily. It took me months to even give you my last name." She mentally cursed when she realized that she actually had not given him her last name; not her real one. "You know what I mean."

"No, I don't. I don't even know who you are anymore, Arry… Arya…" Gendry got to his feet and stomped of to the bathroom.

Arya watched him go. There was nothing she could do but let him think. In the meantime, she needed to make a call. She looked back at the bathroom where Gendry had locked himself inside. She stood and left a key card on the nightstand. There was a pad of paper and pen sitting beside the lamp. Arya scribbled a quick note down. Then she grabbed her phone and left the room.

Gendry came out of the bathroom when he heard the door to the room close. He spotted the note Arya left and walked over to it.

** _Gendry, I'll be right back. There's a few things I need to take care of. I'm also going to your apartment to get some things for you. You need a shower. I'll bring food. Arya._ **

Gendry balled up the note and tossed it in the trash. He did not want to be alone but set the same time he did not want to be around Arry… no... Arya. At least not until he sorted out his own feelings about everything. Gendry sighed and sat down on the bed. Suddenly he was very, very tired. But there was still much running through his mind. He laid back on the pillows and shut his eyes.

* * *

Arya had two stops to make. The first was Gendry's apartment in King's Landing. She knew there was a high chance of a Faceless Man waiting there, but it was a chance she was willing to take. Arya parked her rental on the side of the street across from Gendry's apartment building. She made sure she had her knife on her and got out of the car.

Nothing seemed amiss in Gendry's apartment. At least, not to Arya's keen senses. It was strange that a Faceless Man would be at the new townhouse and not Gendry's current apartment. Shrugging that off, Arya found a large duffel bag in Gendry's bedroom and threw it on the bed. She started packing clothes and Gendry's personal items. Once she was satisfied, Arya made her way around the apartment looking for anything odd. As a former Faceless Man, she knew the signs. When she found nothing, she retrieved the bag and left.

Across the street was an old phone booth. It was only used to make calls to the City Watch of King's Landing. At least, that's all it did for the general public. Arya went inside the old booth and picked up the phone. Before she picked up the phone, she paused as a treasured memory came back to her.

_This is where I met Gendry_, she thought. It was where they had met. She had just finished a hit a few blocks down. The closest City Watch phone had not been working and she had to walk up the street to the one she now sat in. After making her call, she had ran into the brick wall that was Gendry. 30 minutes earlier she had killed a man four times her size only to sprain her ankle by knocking into Gendry. Smirking at the fond memory of him carrying her up to his apartment to ice her ankle, Arya picked up the phone. She pressed the buttons in a long and complicated code. She listened closely and tapped in more numbers. Then she hung up.

Her next stop was simple enough. She needed a peace offering to at least try to get back in Gendry's good graces. The best way to do that was with food.

* * *

Gendry jumped awake when the door to the motel room opened. Or at least tried to open. At some point, Gendry had put the latch on the door. He saw it was only Arya and got up to open the door properly. When he opened it, her saw Arya standing there holding two boxes of pizza. He recognized the duffel bag on her arm as well. She silently held out the pizzas to him. Gendry glared down at her but snatched the boxes away from her anyway.

Arya remained in the doorway for a few moments, watching Gendry take a seat on the bed furthest from the door. He opened one box and was greeted with the sight of a steaming pie of cheese, tomatoes, and ham. He picked up a piece and immediately began eating. Arya finally walked in and locked the door behind her. She tossed Gendry's bag on the small sofa in the room and took a seat on the other bed. For a moment, she just watched him devour the pizza in silence.

Gendry finally looked at her before starting on his fourth piece. "What now?" he asked.

"I can't call off the order. But the Faceless Men decided that if I give them whoever wants you dead, then the contract will be voided," she explained.

"So you have to kill someone else?" he asked.

"If you want to stay alive, yes." Arya watched him shrug and pick up the next piece. "You seem awfully calm about this," she observed.

Gendry shrugged again. "Not too much I can really do about it. Murder isn't really my thing. I do care that my girlfriend has been lying to me since I met her, though." He finished the pizza and moved on to the next box.

Arya nodded. "I'm really sorry about that and I promise to tell you everything properly. Since I was finally quitting, I was going to explain everything to you when I got back. This isn't how I wanted you to find out," she said.

"Yeah. It's a pretty shitty way to find out. It was also a shitty thing to do. We left a dead body at our new house." He said that last sentence as if it was an afterthought.

It did not escape Arya's attention that he said _our new house_. She did not comment on it, though. "I took care of that. We need to get to a safehouse. It's a place not even the Faceless Men know about."

"Fine." Gendry shut the current box and passed it to Arya, knowing she would want the rest. He gestured to the duffel bag. "Those mine?" Arya nodded and he picked up the bag. After going through it, he sighed. Of course she would pack everything he would want. He grabbed what he needed and went to take a shower.

Arya watched him go. She picked up a piece of pizza. She could not decide if his calm demeanor was better than if he had yelled at her. His quiet acceptance of the situation was disconcerting. She sighed again and turned to watch the tv.


	3. A Talk

_ _

* * *

_He'd managed to fight off the knife, but pain in his hands was too much from the defensive wounds. Gendry let go of the garrote that was now around his neck. He tried to inhale as it tightened. The smaller assailant on his back tried to take him down but he stood fast. He twisted his body around and knocked into the wall. He heard a pained grunt and the garrote loosened slightly. Gendry did it again, this time throwing his head back at the same time. There was a crack and a hiss. The assailant released the garrote and Gendry stumbled forward, his hands smearing blood on the walls. He barely had time to get air into his lungs before he was moving again._

_There was a sledgehammer next to the front door. Arry had told him to get rid of it. He ran for it. The assailant was behind him but Gendry did not look back. He grabbed the sledgehammer with his right arm and, with a guttural yell, swung it as hard as he could while turning around._

* * *

Gendry opened his eyes with a loud gasp. He was staring right into steely gray eyes in the dim light of the motel room. Arya’s hand was gently cupping his face. He blinked a few times, eyes never leaving hers. She could see the question in his expression.

“You were dreaming. Are you okay?” she asked.

Gendry wanted to move away from her touch but her hand felt cool on his heated skin. Instead he closed his eyes and allowed her to caress him. “Yes,” he mumbled.

They had not fallen asleep in the same bed. Arya was kneeling on the floor in front of his bed. The covers to her own bed were thrown back as if she had hastily gotten out of the bed. Gendry removed her hand from his face, ignoring the hurt expression that marred her features. The look was quickly erased when he scooted backwards and pulled the covers down in invitation. Arya did not smile, but she quickly crawled in the bed next to him without a word. Figuring he just wanted her close, she laid down with her back to him. After a few quiet minutes, Gendry wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back into his body.

“I’m still mad at you,” he grumbled sleepily. He could practically hear the smirk she was probably giving. However, she said nothing and just settled into his arms. A few minutes later, they were both asleep.

* * *

The next time Arya woke up, she was alone on the bed. She sat up immediately and looked around the room. Gendry was nowhere in sight. She threw the covers off and went to the bathroom and knocked. When there was no answer, she threw the door open to see it was empty. She went back into the bedroom. Gendry’s cell was on the nightstand between the beds. Arya went to the door and threw it open.

Gendry was standing there getting ready to open the door. Arya took in his appearance. He was balancing two foam food containers with two cartons of orange juice on top of them. The two stared at each other in silence for a moment.

“Hey,” Gendry said, giving her a sheepish smile.

Arya sighed and stepped to the side to allow him entry. “You shouldn’t go anywhere alone,” she said.

“Afraid I made off without you?” Gendry walked over to the nightstand and put the containers down. “I brought breakfast. It was free up at the main building.”

“Continental breakfast isn’t real breakfast,” Arya murmured as she bolted the door. She faced Gendry to see he was opening one of the containers. From what she could see, it was full of doughnuts and a few mini croissants. "Considering there is a league of assassins after you, going anywhere without me to protect you isn't a very good idea."

Gendry hummed and picked up one of the doughnuts. "I'll remember that," he said dryly before taking a bite out of the doughnut. As he chewed, he watched Arya come sit across from him on the other bed. She opened the other food container and took out a croissant. "So what are we doing now?"

"Well," Arya bit into her croissant, "first we're going to change cars. Then we're going to the Riverlands."

"And what's in the Riverlands?"

"My safehouse." Arya finished chewing and looked at Gendry. He was draining his carton of orange juice. "Who do you think wants you dead?"

Gendry snorted. He sat the now empty carton down. "Who do you think? Cersei hasn't made a secret of how much she hates me. And now that my father left her nothing but a house and what she would probably consider lunch money…" He saw Arya shake her head. "What? You don't think she hates me?"

"Not at all. She's a complete bitch to you, but not because she hates you. In fact, she probably cares about you more than Robert did." Arya noticed the bewildered expression on Gendry's face. "Part of my training with the Faceless Men was to be able to read people. It's hard to explain and it would take longer than we have to do so. Just believe me when I say that Cersei does not hate you."

"I still wouldn't put it past her. Her family has put a lot into Baratheon Industries over the years and Robert stiffed them with the will by not even leaving her any shares. I've had the unfortunate pleasure of seeing the way her father does business when Renly made me sit in on a meeting. I think it was with the Freys..." Gendry trailed off, recalling something he'd watched on the news the previous night. He looked at Arya, who was now eating the apple slices in her container. "Did you have something to do with what happened at the Twins?"

Arya cleared her throat. "Yes." There was no point in lying. She wondered how much about the manner of the murders the media had reported. Normally, her assignments were done discreetly but she saw no need to be discreet with the Freys. With a group of people, usually she would've just pumped carbon monoxide through the air vents during a meeting or poisoned their food. Flashy was not her normal style.

"By the fucking Seven, Arry! The sons were hanged and gutted! Walder Frey's face had been cut off! You did that?"

"There’s a reason they’re called the _Faceless Men_. Walder Frey's face was requested, so I had to do that. But there was a reason for the… _overkill_ with the others," she said, sounding more defensive than she would like. "Even though they were an assignment, it was personal. But, I'm not going to talk about it now so don't ask."

"What could possibly warrant stringing someone up by their intestines?" Gendry watched Arya's face contort into a pained expression before she closed her eyes and shook her head. He suddenly felt the urge to hug her. His question had clearly brought up some painful memories. "Arry…"

Arya shook her head again. "I promise I'll tell you just… not now. Okay?" She looked back up to him. Gendry nodded and she exhaled loudly. "Okay. I'm going to go check out. Be ready when I get back."

* * *

A little over an hour later, Arya and Gendry were stepping off a bus at an outdoor public storage. Without a word, Gendry followed Arya into the lot. The place was deserted except for members of the maintenance crew that they came across every now and then. Arya led Gendry to a unit near the back of the lot. She unlocked the door and moved to lift it up. Gendry helped her push the door up. Arya mumbled her gratitude and went inside to turn the light on.

There was a turquoise Mini parked inside. Along the far wall were a few lockers. Against the right wall were several black cases. Arya went to the lockers first. She opened one and was greeted with clothes. She took the bag she already had and emptied most of it into the locker and refilled it with more clothes. When she was done, she opened the door to the Mini and tossed it inside. Then she went to the black cases along the wall.

Gendry finally decided to move inside the storage. He walked up behind Arya as she opened one of the cases. He was met with a collection of weaponry he was not quite prepared to see. Arya was packing another case with a few of the weapons. Gendry saw her grab a set of knives, a few different handguns, and lots of ammunition.

"Do you know how to use one of these?" she asked, holding up a Glock.

Gendry shrugged. "Point and shoot."

Arya chuckled and rolled her eyes. "There's a little more that goes into it than that. I'll show you when we get to where we're going. I have more there." She shut the case and opened another one. Gendry raised his eyebrows at the sight of the money she had stashed away in the case. Arya opened up another bag and began stuffing money inside. She noticed Gendry's expression and smirked. "We have to stay off the grid as much as possible, so only cash for right now. Got it?" She stood and held two stacks out to Gendry.

"What do you…"

"Take it," she ordered. Gendry rolled his eyes and snatched the stacks from her. He stuffed them in his duffel bag. "Now get in the car."

When Arya pulled out of the storage lot, Gendry thought about what Arya had said about Cersei. She seemed very certain that the woman did not hate him; that she was just acting out on some sort of trauma she'd been dealt. Whether it was just Robert's constant infidelity or something else, the woman did not hate him. He was just the unfortunate lightning rod for her anger.

"Before we leave, I want to talk to Cersei," he said suddenly.

Arya frowned. "Gendry, I'm telling you that she's not the one who ordered it."

"Maybe not. But I still want to know something." Gendry looked at Arya when she stopped at a light. "I _need_ to know something for me," he said.

Arya squeezed the steering wheel before sighing in defeat. "Fine. But make it quick. The sooner we're out of this city, the safer you'll be."

* * *

The Baratheon home in King's Landing was located in an upscale gated community called Aegon's High Hill. As a child, Gendry had spent a few weeks every summer in the sprawling estate. He'd hated almost every minute of it. His mother had insisted it was for him to spend time with his father. However, Robert had hardly been around and Gendry had been left with Cersei. When he was a child, she had mostly ignored him. It was not until he came to live with Robert after his mother died that she became outright hostile towards him. It was made worse by her oldest son being an absolute nightmare and mimicking his mother's treatment of him. The only people he did not have any ill feelings towards were Myrcella and Tommen.

Arya stopped at the keypad to the house's front gates. She reached out and put in the code to open the gates. Both she and Gendry were genuinely surprised that the code worked. "I would've thought she'd have it changed by now," Arya said as the gates slowly opened.

"Me too," Gendry agreed.

Arya drove down the long driveway to the front of the house. The house was enormous and made more like a palace than a mansion. With the sand-colored stone and ivy-covered walls, it reminded Gendry more of an abandoned psychiatric hospital from a horror movie than a house. Arya pulled up in front of the massive wooden doors and put the car in park.

Gendry sighed and looked at the door. Before he got out, he faced Arya. "Come with me?"

"Sure." Arya turned the car off and followed him out of the car.

The door was answered by Myrcella. She was wearing an apron that was covered in what looked like flour. The sweet smell of something baking wafted out of the door. "Gendry! What are you doing here? What happened to your face? Are you okay?" She seemed very worried about his appearance.

He had forgotten about the bruises. "I'm all right, Myr. Is Cersei here?" Gendry asked. Myrcella nodded and opened the door wider to allow them inside. "How've you been?"

"As well as could be expected, I suppose. It's not every day you lose your father and then find out your father isn't your father. Are you sure you’re okay? You don’t want any ice or pain medication?" Myrcella continued to frown as she examined at his face. Gendry looked at her, wondering how she could possibly be Cersei's daughter. The girl did not have a malicious bone in her body. He nodded. "Well if you say so. But, you’re here to see Mother? She's in the living room."

"Is she alone?" Gendry did not want to chance running into Joffrey. Myrcella nodded. "Keep Arya company for me."

The two young ladies watched Gendry disappear down the hall in silence. Myrcella cleared her throat. She had always been a little intimidated by Arya. "Would you, um, like some cookies? I just made some."

Arya found herself wondering the same thing as Gendry. How on earth had this girl been borne from Cersei?

* * *

“Why do you hate me so much?” Gendry got right to the point as he walked into the living room. Cersei looked away from the television and at him. Her eyes widened minutely at the sight of him but narrowed almost as quickly. Before she could respond, Gendry spoke again. “I get that I’m a constant reminder that Robert was unfaithful to you, but why take it out on me? I didn’t fucking ask to be born!”

Cersei stared at Gendry like he was an inconsequential annoyance. She reached for the remote and shut the television off. “I don’t hate you, Gendry,” she said softly.

“Yes you do! If you didn’t you wouldn’t... What did you call me?” Gendry was shocked into silence. She never called him by his first name. It was always _boy_ or _the bastard_ or something more dehumanizing and derogatory.

The blonde sighed and got to her feet. Gendry watched her walk over to the huge bookcase across the room. She pulled out a big leatherbound book and returned to her seat. “I don’t hate you. I didn’t even hate your mother.” Cersei flipped through the pages until she came to one that had a picture tucked in the pages. She took it and held it out to Gendry.

Gendry took the picture from her and looked at it. It was of two boys, both no older than two years old. Gendry could immediately tell that one of the boys was him. The other boy was almost identical except for the shape of his eyes and straighter hair. His eyes were shaped like Cersei’s. “Who...”

“His name was Orys. He was my first son; the only child I had with Robert,” Cersei said. Gendry appeared confused. He did not remember Cersei having any other children except Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen. But here was proof of another son; an older son that appeared to be around Gendry’s age. “Your mother and I were pregnant at the same time. I had Orys a few weeks before you were born. Even with your mother’s relationship with my husband, I didn’t mind having you around when she needed someone to care for you while she worked. I wanted Orys to have a playmate and what better playmate than his own brother?”

Gendry almost felt like telling her to stop. He could see whatever was coming next would be painful for her to reveal. Still, he had to know why she treated him so bad; would possibly want him dead.

“Two years before I had Joffrey, both of you caught very bad respiratory infections; likely from some child at your daycare. You fought through it. Orys was not so lucky. His developed into pneumonia and he died in his sleep. His little lungs simply... gave up.” Cersei looked at him. “You see how much you two look alike? You could be twins. Robert's genes were truly strong. Every time I see you, all I see is my baby boy who I only had two years with.”

“I... I don’t remember...”

Cersei scoffed. “I don’t expect you to. You were just a baby. You could barely say complete sentences. But you loved each other. You two would scream bloody murder when you had to be separated. I like to imagine that had he lived that you two would still be close despite everything.” She looked over at him again. Her eyes shone with unshed tears. She quickly blinked them back and schooled her face into her usual scowl. “Every time I see you all I’m reminded of is my baby Orys; of what he could’ve and should've been. I resented you and your mother. I still do. I probably always will.”

Gendry shook his head. “That’s not an excuse for you to treat me as you do! You've treated me like shit my whole fucking life! Then you were a _monster_ after my mom died! Who taunts a teenager because his mom died?”

“I know it’s not!” Cersei yelled back at him. She cleared her throat, trying to regain her calm. “I’m not using it as an excuse and I won’t apologize. I’m just telling you why I do. You are the one who asked for a reason. There it is.” Cersei seemed very tired suddenly. It was as if telling Gendry this had exhausted her.

Gendry debated on telling her about his predicament but decided against it. "You're not mad about the will?"

Cersei snorted and picked up her glass of wine. She got up and refilled it at the small bar in the room. "Not as much I probably should be. In truth, I never expected him to leave me much anyway. I'm more irritated by Jon Arryn airing out the truth about my children like that."

"Were you ever going to tell them?"

"If I could help it, no. There was no point. Truth be told, I don't know for sure who their fathers are. I took special care to make sure Robert never got me pregnant again." She saw Gendry's confused expression. It really was like looking at Robert in his prime. "Robert wasn't the only one who got around. I never cared about his infidelity. What pissed me off was that he was so fucking public with it. It was embarrassing being seen as the wife who sat idly by while the whole world knows your husband is carelessly fucking his way through every bar and red light district in the country."

"No one ever knew about him and my mother."

"Only because Jon worked exceptionally hard to keep her identity and their affair a secret. Anyone could do the math and figure out your mother was fresh out of high school when you were born. Which of course would mean your mother was underage when he started gallivanting around with her. Oh the scandal that could've caused. To this day I don’t understand why he risked his reputation for her. Like I said, there must’ve been a gold mine between her thighs." Cersei chuckled mirthlessly before taking a sip of her wine. She looked at him and blinked a few times as if she was really seeing him for the first time. "What brought all of this on? And why are you so bruised?"

Gendry narrowed his eyes. "Everyone reaches a breaking point, Cersei. I guess being taunted at my _father’s wake_ was mine. And I probably won't see much of you ever again so I wanted to know. I deserve that much." He disregarded her second question entirely.

Her eyes turned cold. "Well now you know. I trust you know your way out as well."

Gendry wasted no time in leaving the room. He went in search of Arya. He found her sitting with Myrcella, talking and eating cookies in the kitchen. He entered the room noisily to catch their attention. Arya looked him over and got to her feet.

"How did it go?" she asked.

"How does talking to Cersei always go?" Gendry grumbled. He looked around the kitchen. Nearly every surface was covered in plates of colorful macarons, cupcakes, and cookies. He noticed Myrcella's sad expression. "You made all of this?" He picked up a tan-colored macaron. It tasted like peanut butter.

Myrcella's expression softened and she nodded. "Yeah. Mother loves the macarons with her wine. I got a little carried away. Baking is strangely calming. You’re welcome to take some." She looked hopeful and Gendry nodded.

Gendry watched Myrcella pack him a few bags of cookies. He noticed Arya was watching him while he nibbled on a few more macarons. They were really good. He could not help but to think about how Arya had been right about Cersei. But if anyone would not know how to properly process grief, it would be Cersei. He recalled how she hated her youngest brother for _killing_ their mother during his birth. So treating Gendry like shit because she lost her own son seemed par for the course.

Myrcella brought them three bags of sweets and walked them to the door. Arya went outside to start the car while Gendry hung back. "I know I'm not your sister anymore…"

"Myr, you'll always be my sister." Gendry wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. "Thanks for the cookies. You’re really good at this baking thing."

"You think so? I want to open my own bakery. I think that's what I'll use my inheritance on." She looked up at him. "Mother is moving back to Casterly Rock soon but I'm staying here. You'll always be welcome."

Gendry missed her forehead. "Thanks, Myr. I'll see you around."

* * *

Gendry did not speak until they were hours out of the Crownlands. Arya had not tried to engage him in conversation either. She could sense he had a lot on his mind. She instead kept an eye out for anyone who could be following them. It's not until Arya stopped at a gas station in Harrenhal that he spoke.

"I'll pump," he said before Arya could get out of the car. She nodded silently and but got out anyway. She headed to the bathroom instead. Gendry walked to the store behind her to pay for the gas.

Arya was back first. She got back in the car and watched the area around them. The gas station was busy, so it would be difficult to pull anything off without it being obvious. Still, she watched. Sniping was not uncommon.

Gendry came back and he was carrying two very large drinks. Arya rolled her window down with a smile. "I got you red cream soda," he said when she took the drinks from him. He walked away and began pumping gas. She tapped the steering wheel, still observing their surroundings intently. When Gendry was done, he got back in the car and went in search of a bag of macarons. "Are we close?"

Arya shook her head. "We have about two hours left. I'm taking a few back roads to get there." She shook her head when Gendry groaned. "Stop acting like a baby. This is for your own good."

"I'm tired of being in this small ass car." Gendry crammed a few of the cookies in his mouth. "I can't believe you even own one of these."

"Oh shut up. We'd run out of money paying for gas in that obnoxiously large ozone hazard you call a truck." Arya chanced a glance at him. Gendry snorted and rolled his eyes. "Let me get one of those."

Gendry took a pink macaron out. "Say please."

Arya narrowed her eyes. "Please." She was only willing to concede because the macarons were really, really good. Gendry held the cookie out to her and she snatched it from him. "Thanks." She started the car and pulled off.

It was another ten minutes before Gendry spoke again.

"You were right."

"About what?"

"Cersei. She doesn't hate me. She wants to, but can't bring herself to do it." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't think a more emotionally constipated person exists."

"If you say so, _Mr. I Hate People_."

"I don't hate people. I just don't like being around people. There's a difference."

"You like being around me."

"Only because you're cute."

They both laughed at that. Suddenly, the air between them did not feel so heavy. There was still tension, but for the first time Arya truly felt like they could get through this.


	4. Strong Wine

* * *

Acorn Hall was an old mansion that was only accessible off a hidden dirt road. The surrounding thick forest provided more than enough cover to completely shield it from sight. The entrance was hardly visible unless one knew exactly where to turn. Arya had known and taken the Mini down the rough, overgrown driveway.

“You’ll ruin the bottom of this car driving on this,” Gendry intoned.

“Afraid you'll have to walk through the scary forest, city boy?” Arya smirked as she slowly drove through the brush.

“No. I just hate to see a good car treated so harshly.”

“I thought you didn't like my Mini.”

“I never said that.” Gendry looked at her. “I said I was tired of riding in this small ass car.”

Arya rolled her eyes and shook her head. She kept down the driveway until the trees cleared somewhat and the mansion was revealed. It was old and covered in vines. While the windows were still intact, they appeared to be boarded up from the inside. There was no way to see inside the house. The last time she had been here was about six months ago. She pulled up right to the front and turned the car off. While she gathered her things, she noticed Gendry had yet to move. He was just staring out the window at the mansion. Arya paused and waited to see if he would speak.

“Is something wrong?” she inquired. Gendry inhaled and exhaled slowly before shaking his head. He then began moving to gather his things as well. Arya remained still, watching him curiously.

If she was honest, Arya was a little worried about Gendry. He was not a talker, so his bouts of silence would not usually concern her. But she could tell something was amiss. His current predicament was surely troubling for him. But outside of the initial shock and anger at her for lying, he had not emoted much at all. Arya knew he was not all right no matter what he said. Gendry often got self-destructive when he fell into one of his brooding moods.

_He’ll eventually talk. Whether it’s a talk or an explosion remains to be seen_, Arya told herself. She finished grabbing her things and followed Gendry out of the car. She walked past him and opened the front door.

Gendry followed Arya inside and shut the door behind him. Arya flipped a switch to turn on the lights on the foyer. Just by looking at the old rustic exterior of the house, Gendry would not have guessed the interior was anything as nice at it was. It had a modern design and like her apartment, it was almost industrial in its simplicity. The windows were not visible, with only a wall where they would be.

"Gendry?"

He glanced around to see that Arya had left the foyer. Gendry followed after her and into a kitchen. She was going through the refrigerator. "How is there food in there?"

"There are a few people who know about this place. My family knows and the caretaker, Mrs. Smallwood, knows. I called ahead and let her know I was coming. She stocked it for us. Are you hungry?" she asked, her head still buried in refrigerator.

"No. Is there… Where can I put my stuff down? And get a shower?"

Arya turned to see Gendry standing there, looking awkward in the steel kitchen. She shut the refrigerator door. "Yeah. Follow me." She picked up her own bag and motioned for him to follow her.

They walked in silence to the second floor. Arya took him to a large room at the end of the corridor. She opened the door and the light came on automatically. Gendry followed in behind her and glanced around. The room was simple: an obnoxiously large bed, a dresser, a desk, and two nightstands on either side of the bed. There were no windows and two doors on the left wall.

"Make yourself at home. The bathroom is the door on the right. There should be some soap and towels if you want to shower. I asked Mrs. Smallwood to get you some extra clothes, so they're in the drawers. My room is…"

"Your room?" Gendry turned around to face her. "This isn't your room?"

Arya nodded. "It is my room but I'm giving it to you. I'll stay…"

"You'll stay in your room with me." Gendry turned away from her and walked over to the bed. He tossed his bag on the bed. "Is something wrong with that?"

"Not at all. I just thought you'd…"

"Arry, I didn't stop loving you overnight," Gendry said dryly.

Arya watched him for a moment before nodding slowly. "Okay. I'm going to go and make a few calls. I'll be downstairs." She left the room, pulling the door shut behind her.

Gendry stood staring at the closed door before going to the large bathroom. Like every thing else in the house, the design seemed to be industrial. It was nice and it had him wondering if Arya even designed the place herself. The thought disappeared almost as quickly as it came and he moved towards the shower... area. Because that’s what it was: an area. There was a clawfoot tub at one end, a bench along the far wall, and a waterfall showerhead at the other end. A glass divider separated it from the rest of the bathroom. After searching around for towels and soap, he decided on a shower instead of a bath.

While standing under the water, Gendry became very aware of just how tired and tense he was. The hot water eased the tension and helped him relax. However, he was mentally and emotionally drained. It was overwhelming. In the span of a week, he’d lost his father, inherited one of the biggest fortunes in the world, and now there was someone out there that wanted him dead because of it. There was also the fact that his girlfriend had been lying to him since they met. Out of everything that had happened so far, that was the thing that caused him the most turmoil.

_Nothing but fucking lies all this time_, he thought as he began washing himself. _All lies_. Before he could think better off the action, Gendry punched the stone wall of the shower. Any other time, Gendry would have recoiled from the pain. But his anger dulled any of his other senses and emotions. He did not even realize he'd worsened the wounds on his hands until he noticed his blood running down the wall.

"Fuck," he whispered. He carefully cleaned his newest wound and got out of the shower. Going through the cabinets and drawers in the bathroom, he found a small first aid kit. Taking some antibiotic ointment and gauze, he dressed his hands again. He got dressed in a pair of sweatpants and left the room.

* * *

"I'm really concerned about him," Arya said into her burner phone.

"_His life got really complicated, really quickly. I'd say it's a miracle he hasn't had some sort of mental breakdown._"

Arya rolled her eyes. "Gendry is more likely to allow his anger to fester like an infected wound rather than dealing with it like a normal person. He's like you in that aspect, Jon. And I actually think he's more pissed at me than he is at the fact that someone put a hit out on him."

Jon snorted on his end. "_Well, at least his anger isn't misdirected._"

"You're supposed to be on my side."

"_I'm always on your side but you just have to let him be mad at you. You've been lying to him for five years. You haven't even told him you're a Stark, have you?_"

"I told him my name."

"_You know what I mean._"

Arya sighed again. "I didn't call you for you to berate me. I called because I need you to do something for me."

"_I'm listening._"

"I need you to look into who stood to benefit from Robert Baratheon's death."

"_His wife, right? From what you've told me, she's a piece of work. There's even a few whispers about her having a motive._"

Arya thought about Gendry's talk with Cersei. Gendry never did tell her what they spoke about. "It isn't her. Just look into it for me. I'll look as well. I'm leaning towards it being closer to home. Gendry mentioned his uncle wasn't happy about what Robert left him."

"_I'll look into it. But listen. Just give him a little space. Let him initiate the conversation. Go from there._"

"You sound like Sansa." Arya did not wait for a rebuttal and hung up. She tapped her fingers on the desk she sat at. The room was quiet except for the soft ticking of a click on the wall. Arya stared at the moving second hand. She realized it had been at least an hour since she last spoke with Gendry.

_It's late. Maybe he's already asleep_, she thought. She got up and left the room.

Arya was surprised to see that the bedroom was empty. It did smell vaguely of soap, so Arya deduced that Gendry had at least showered. She decided to take a shower herself. Gendry was probably in the kitchen sulking with a bowl of cereal.

After her shower, Gendry still had not made an appearance. Arya figured it was time to find him. Instead of calling out for him, she walked around the house quietly, checking unlocked rooms. There were only so many places he could be. She was clear on the other side of the mansion when she found him in one of the many sitting rooms on the ground floor. She smelled him before she saw him. He was sitting on the floor, leaning against a couch.

"You have a good selection here." Gendry motioned to the small table of glass bottles in front of him. He'd found the stash of liquor in the house. He was holding one in his hand and held it up for Arya to see. "Robert loved a good brandy."

Arya sighed and walked over to him. "Gendry, you shouldn't be drinking that stuff," she said. She reached the bottle but he was quicker and moved away from her grasp. He gave her a lazy but defiant glare before taking a long gulp straight from the bottle. "Gendry…"

"Robert always drank brandy. I remember my mom said once that brandy is like whiskey for rich people. Never understood what that meant until I found out brandy is just really strong wine." He took another swig. Arya reached for it again. Gendry was surprisingly agile for someone who was well past tipsy and dancing into drunk territory. He quickly dodged her again and finished the bottle off. He tossed it carelessly to the side. "Mom didn't let Robert drink when he was at our place. She wouldn't even let him in if he'd been drinking. He would bang on the door and call out for her. She only let him in when he got the stupid idea to try and drive."

"Smart woman," Arya said while sitting behind him on the couch. "She set boundaries."

Gendry shook his head. "He never did anything good for her. She took care of him more than he took care of her." He picked up another bottle. He started to twist it open but Arya took hold of it. She was faster this time, but Gendry was still far stronger than she was. He yanked it out of her grasp, almost pulling her off the couch. He twisted the cap off and was chugging before Arya could regain her bearings. When he finished, Arya got the bottle away from him.

"Is this what you're gonna do? Follow Robert into an early grave?" she yelled.

"Shut the fuck up," Gendry snarled. Arya growled and huffed at his coarse language. He leaned back against the couch.

Arya looked down on him. He did not reach for another bottle. He just sat with his eyes closed. Arya remained quiet. _I wish he would talk to me_.

As if hearing her thoughts, that's what he did. "I had a brother," he said suddenly. "A brother by blood. He was Cersei's son with Robert. She showed me a picture. We looked so a lot alike."

"What happened to him?" Arya asked quietly. She began running her hands through his hair. She knew this particular action calmed him.

Gendry leaned back into her touch, releasing some of the tension in his shoulders. "He got sick. Cersei is a bitch to me because he died and I didn't." He frowned. "At least that's what I think she meant."

"That isn't a reason."

"Maybe not, but that's why." He opened his eyes to look at Arya. They were glassy and a little bloodshot. "You lied."

Arya nodded. "I did and I'm sorry. Would you have really wanted to know I killed people for a living? Thought me a monster?" Arya generally did not give much thought to what other people thought about her. She had that problem as a child. But, she did care about what Gendry thought.

"You didn't give me the fucking chance to decide that. But your job isn't to decide what I get to be mad about, Arry." Gendry moved out of her grasp and slowly got to his feet. He swiped another bottle before Arya could stop him. He twisted off the cap angrily and threw it across the room. Then he stalked out of the room.

Arya took a few deep breaths before she moved to follow Gendry. If they were not downstairs, she would have just knocked Gendry out and dragged him to the bedroom. As it is, he's still much too heavy for her to move up a flight of stairs by herself. So she walked a few paces behind him while he grumbled and swayed down the hall.

When they came to the stairs, Gendry stopped and stared at them. Then he sat down. Arya went to stand in front of him. He did not seem to notice her at first. He just glared at the half-full glass bottle of brown liquor in his hand. "I don't even like brown," he said quietly. He sat the bottle down. He appeared to deflate completely.

"You're going to be a mess in the morning," Arya said. She was not expecting Gendry to reach for her. He pulled her into his arms and held her. "Gendry…"

"Don't lie to me anymore, Arry," he slurred into her chest.

Arya stroked his hair again. "I won't. Now come on. I can't carry you up the stairs if you pass out."

The moment his head hit the pillow, Gendry was out like a light. Arya still ended up having to move his body onto the bed properly. She left a bottle of water and some pain medication on the nightstand and moved the waste basket closer to the bed. She knelt down in front of Gendry and watched him for a moment. He looked so young and untroubled when he slept.

_I'll fix this_.

* * *

The smell of bacon broke through the foggy haze of Gendry's dreamworld, pulling him from his slumber. He rolled over to see that the light on the nightstand was on. The room was dark otherwise. The moment he tried to sit up, his head protested violently.

"Motherfucker…" he groaned. He saw the medication and water on the nightstand and hastily picked them up. After swallowing a few pills and sipping the water, he relaxed against the headboard. The smell of food was beckoning him but he also did not feel like moving. Looking to his left, he could see the sheets and pillow looked as if they'd been used.

_She stayed with me_. Then the hazy memories of the previous night came back. He had been quite callous towards Arry. _Arya_, he corrected. He was not going to apologize for his anger, though. He would not be indulging in alcohol anytime soon. Eventually, Gendry's stomach began to loudly protest its emptiness and he decided to finally get up.

* * *

The kitchen was empty when Gendry finally made it downstairs. However, there was a plate of bacon and a few biscuits sitting on the island. Gendry glanced around before snatching it up and leaving. He went in search of Arya.

He found her exercising in a large open area. From what Gendry had seen of the house, this was the only area where the windows were not boarded up. Instead, there were steel blinds along the wall that were open and let light in from outside. Call him perverted, but Gendry liked watching Arya exercise. She made it look graceful. He also found her flexibility appealing. So he took a seat on the floor across from her and watched.

Unlike Arya, Gendry was decidedly not graceful. Arya had heard him coming when he came down the stairs. He was completely incapable of sneaking around. She twisted around to see him eating and gave him a small smile. He did not return it, but nodded his acknowledgment silently.

"Thank you," he said after a few more minutes of silence.

Arya faced him, legs spread to either side and leaning forward. She placed her chest on the floor and stretched her arms out in front of her. "For what?"

"Helping me to bed. Leaving the water and medicine. Breakfast." He suddenly felt very ashamed. "I won't drink like that again."

"You don't have to apologize. I'm glad you got some of your frustration out. But the next time, do it in a way that won't have me hoping you don't succumb to alcohol poisoning."

Gendry shook his head derisively. "Getting plastered isn't the way to vent my frustration. There was a better way."

Arya sat up and crawled towards Gendry. He watched her warily until she was sitting on her knees directly in front of him. "Talk to me next time, Gendry." She waited for him to nod his agreement. "Good. Now, did Robert's will have any secondary beneficiaries in the event that you wish to pass the inheritance on?"

"Mr. Arryn didn't mention anything like that. He just told me to think about how I wanted to handle it. I guess I can pass it on. Uncle Stannis already basically runs the company himself anyway. I would've at least given him more control of it. Maybe give Myrcella and Tommen bigger trusts."

Arya smirked. "Not Joffrey?"

"Joffrey doesn't deserve what he got." Gendry finished eating his bacon and biscuits. "What do you think? Should I give my uncles control of the company?" he asked.

"Ownership doesn't necessarily mean you run the company, Gendry."

Gendry shrugged. "Just seems wrong to have Uncle Stannis working for me. I'm not a businessman, Arry... Arya." He watched Arya crawl forward and settle in his lap. "What?"

"You can call me Arry."

"But it's not your name."

"It's your name for me, though. I want you to keep calling me by it," she said. Gendry eyed her for a second in silent contemplation. Arya thumped him on the nose. "You're thinking too hard about it."

Gendry frowned and rubbed his tingling noise. "Fine. But I reserve the right to call you _Arya_ when I'm pissed at you."

Arya rolled her eyes. She sat closer to his chest and ran her hands through the mop of black on top of his head. He closed his eyes and rested his head against the wall while she tangled her fingers in his hair. Arya was not sure she wanted to ask the next question. Gendry had no issues with his uncles and in a lot of ways they'd been more attentive to him than Robert had been. Still, she had to know. "You said Stannis was displeased about Robert's will."

He nodded. "Of course he was. He definitely expected Robert to leave him more than the Dragonstone property." Gendry cracked an eye open when Arya stopped massaging his scalp. He saw her biting her lip. She stood up. "You don't think…"

"Stannis is an ambitious man, Gendry."

"Yeah but I'm his nephew. He knows me. He knows all he would need to do is talk to me about it. He'd never try to have me killed." Gendry got to his feet as well.

Arya crossed her arms over her chest and faced him. "You really believe Stannis wouldn't want you out of the way if it meant he got control of the company?" She watched Gendry's face contort into one of anger. He turned on his heel and started to walk out of the room. "Gendry…"

"It's not Stannis," he grumbled over his shoulder.

"Why not? Because you say so?"

Gendry rounded on her. "Yes."

Arya slowly inhaled and walked to a panel on the wall. She pressed a button on it and the steel blinds started to close. Arya shut the panel and turned to walk over to Gendry. She noticed he had left his plate on the floor and went to retrieve it. As she kneeled to pick it up, she heard something lodge itself in the wall in front of her. She turned her head to see a small bullet hole in the window just before the steel blinds closed all the way.

"Shit."


	5. Turn Off the Lights

* * *

There were two more shots that implanted themselves in the steel blinds. The sound startled Gendry. He squinted and saw the indentations made from the bullets. “Arya, wh...”

“Come on.” Arya grabbed Gendry’s arm and pulled him out of the room. He was asking questions but her mind was on other things. How had her safe house been found out? She’d gone to great lengths to make sure the Faceless Men never found out about it. She moved on autopilot as scenarios of what to do ran through her mind. When they got to the kitchen was when Gendry had finally had enough of being ignored. He used his greater strength to pull away from Arya. She immediately faced him.

“Will you answer me?” he yelled.

Arya sat the empty plate down on the kitchen island. “What were you asking?”

Gendry sighed and shook his head. “Just tell me what’s happening.”

“Gendry, we don’t have time...”

“Then make time!” He closed his eyes to try and calm himself. “I know you’re used to not having to answer questions during your job but you can’t just pull me around and expect me to follow you without question. Tell me what’s going on!”

“Can we have this discussion when someone isn’t about to break into the house and kill you?” Arya crossed her arms, matching his stance. They stared each other down for a moment. Arya bit her lip. “Fine. We need to get out of here, but the only way we can is if we lose this Faceless first.”

Gendry nodded. “We can’t just leave?”

“We have to lose this one first,” Arya reiterated. Gendry swallowed but nodded. “Ok. I need you to get to the panic room before we do anything else.”

“Wait. I’m not leaving you to face this... _Faceless_ alone.” He paused when Arya looked back at him.

Arya smirked. “It’s my turn.”

* * *

In Gendry’s opinion, the panic room was more like a command center out of a sci-fi movie. To start with, the room was accessible through the stairs. Arya had flipped a switch and the steps before the first landing raised to reveal a large steel vault door. Inside, one wall was covered by small screens. Gendry got a closer look at them to see that they were views from surveillance cameras around the property, including some in the forest.

Arya had left him strict instructions. He was to watch for her. When she looked into the camera, he was supposed to switch the fuse that controlled the lights in the house off. That was it. That was his one job. He still did not feel right letting her to this alone, but there was really nothing he could do about it. Even he had to admit that he had gotten lucky with the first assassin that had come for him.

So all he could do was wait and watch. At least it would be interesting to see Arya in action…

If the assailant found it strange that the front door was unlocked, they did not show it. Instead, they moved stealthily through the foyer. Gendry watched them pause at the stairs. For a moment, he thought they had realized that the entrance to the panic room was just behind them. The Faceless Man only seemed to ponder ascending them, though. Apparently they thought better of it and instead turned to the left. Gendry knew that to be the direction of the kitchen. He looked around at the screens to find the one for the kitchen.

The brightness of the lights in the kitchen could be seen reflecting of the stainless steel surfaces of appliances. The assailant quietly made there way. Their back was to the camera Gendry was looking through. The steel reflecting do brightly made it difficult for Gendry to see them.

Suddenly, the Faceless Man whirled around. They leaned to the side, narrowly avoiding a chef’s knife coming at them. The knife lodged itself in the wall. Gendry squinted. He could see Arya standing against the refrigerator. Where had she come from?

* * *

Arya raised an eyebrow. Clearly she had not been as quiet as she thought. She examined this Faceless Man. They were at least half a foot taller than Arya and wore the face of a young blonde man with dark blue eyes. There did not appear to be any weapons on them, but she knew well that taking anything at face value was dangerous. She would have to do this the old-fashioned way. “You should just leave. I won’t let anyone kill him,” she said.

The Faceless Man shook their head. “You know as well as I do that he’s as good as dead. We will never stop until he is.”

“I have no desire to kill every member that comes after him, but I will if necessary.” Arya flexed her fingers.

“You can try.”

Arya’s eye twitched. She stalked forward, surprising the Faceless Man. They had not been expecting her to attack head on. Using her height, Arya ducked under their first attack but had to block the follow-up. The strength behind the strike was hollow; as if it was not real.

_This body is not theirs_, she thought. If she could disengage the disguise, she could fight whoever was really under it. Being shoulder-checked into the stove was not going to get it done, though. _This area is too crowded_. Arry’s ducked underneath another strike and vaulted over the island. She turned and looked in the direction she knew the camera to be. She heard the assassin coming after her and faced them again.

Then the lights went out.

* * *

Gendry returned to the screens after flipping the switch that controlled the lights. He searched the screens, looking for any sign of Arya. He knew he was to wait two minutes before switching them on again. He was not sure he would be able to, though. His nerves were shot enough. Not being able to see Arya or the assailant had him nearly shaking.

_Come on, Arry_, he prayed silently. He just hoped that the next time he turned the lights that it would not show him what he did not wish to see.

* * *

Arya walked calmly behind the Faceless Man. They were clearly not used to moving in the dark without the proper equipment to help them see. That was one thing Arya had in her favor. If there was one thing she was grateful to the Kindly Man for, it was that he personally trained her to see efficiently in the dark.

However, Arya would not be able to take them down without disengaging the disguise. If this was a normal person, she would have little trouble no matter their size. But it was hard to fight against a Faceless in disguise. It was an illusion but at the same time it was real. It was truly a mindfuck and Arya hated it.

If she had been counting down properly, there was about thirty seconds before Gendry would turn the lights on. She had to be close enough to get to the disguise as soon as the lights were on. She moved forward until she was nearly touching the Faceless Man. They were mumbling curses to themselves; angry at not being able to see or find Arya.

Then the lights came on. 

Arya was standing right in front of them. Before they could even think about reacting, Arya pushed her thumb into a small space near their collarbone. The disguise dissipated. The Faceless Man seemed to shrink a few inches. Their face was twisted into an expression of both horror and anger. They lashed out, grabbing Arya by her outstretched arm and tossing her into the wall.

Arya winced at the pain in her back. She was going to be sore after that one. This Faceless Man was actually a young woman with brown hair and narrow brown eyes. Arya locked her legs between the other woman’s and tripped her up. While she was regaining her posture, Arya took this time to stand.

* * *

Gendry let out a sigh of relief when he saw Arya was alive but a gasp of horror when she’d been tossed into the wall. He was now watching the two fight. They had made it all the way to one of the living rooms. Clearly neither one of them seemed to think anything was off limits. If it was within reach, they would use it as a weapon. Lamps, books, remotes... Gendry was surprised one of them had not thrown the tv yet. The mental image of Arya throwing a tv half her size caused him to hold back laughter.

_I shouldn’t be laughing, but that is funny_, he mused as the two women started grappling.

He knew Arya was agile and flexible, but to see it used in such a way was amazing. She was amazing. He watched her gain the upper hand by doing some sort of flip/twist thing to take the other woman down by her arm.

* * *

She would be more than a little sore once this was over. This woman was stronger than she had thought she would be, but her fighting style was hardly anything to write home about. In fact, it was very familiar to Arya. Her eyes widened before narrowing.

“The Waif trained you.”

“Yes, she did.”

“It wasn’t a question. I’d recognize that sloppy, lazy style anywhere,” Arya said snidely. Yes, the style was sloppy and lazy, but it was also terrifyingly effective. If Arya has not been familiar with it, she would probably be in a lot more pain. “Leave and tell the Kindly Man he will have his due, but it won’t be Gendry.”

The woman snickered audaciously. “That I cannot and will not do. I’m here on her orders, not his.”

Arya frowned. _Gods, I hate that bitch_. Her concentration wavered slightly and she found herself in yet another grapple. She once again gained ground, this time using her legs.

* * *

Gendry was still staring at the screens when Arya made it back to the panic room. She made her way over to him while unwrapping her hands. Before she said anything, she noticed Gendry’s eyes were fixed on one of the screens. She followed his gaze and saw it was the one from the living room. From the camera’s angle, she could see the room was a mess.

_Mrs. Smallwood will not like that_, she thought. But she also noticed that the body of the Faceless Man was within view. _He watched the whole thing_, she realized.

“Gendry?” Arya touches his shoulder. He turned his head to look at her. Then he rose to his feet immediately and looked her over. Arya smiled. “I’m fine.”

Gendry did not look like he believed her. “Are you sure?” His hands hovered over the darkening marks on her arms.

“Just a few bruises and I’ll definitely be sore later. But right now we need to leave.” She stepped away from him. “I know we just got here but this location has been compromised.”

“So where are we going now?” Gendry followed Arya out of the room.

“Riverrun.”

* * *

A few calls were made (one to a very unhappy Mrs. Smallwood), more bags were packed, and then Arya was leading Gendry out of the house through an underground tunnel. She had told Mrs. Smallwood to be wary of the Mini. It was surely bugged for something nefarious like a bomb. The tunnel led to an abandoned railroad. It was overgrown and hidden from view.

The heavy silence had descended on them again. Arya spent the time walking stealing glances at Gendry. His expression was one he wore when he was thinking too hard about something. After initially asking about her wellbeing, he had said nothing else to her. He’d only followed her orders without question. He had not even questioned what would happen to the body of the fallen Faceless Man. The most he'd interacted with her was grabbing two of her bags from her when he saw her wincing from the soreness that was creeping up on her. They continued down the old railroad until they came to a garage.

To Gendry’s relief, there was only an old SUV in it. “I thought you didn’t like these,” he said.

Arya shrugged. “I don’t like them. Doesn’t mean they aren’t useful. Now shut up and get in.” She opened the driver’s side and climbed in. Once she was situated inside, she saw Gendry looking at her with a smirk. He was already seated comfortably and buckled in. Arya shook her head. “Stupid giant,” she muttered.

* * *

Riverrun was not as big as Harrenhal nor as extravagant as King’s Landing. It sat between the junction of the Tumblestone River and the Red Fork. The location made it a decent tourist spot, so there were many large and luxurious hotels. Arya was familiar with the city, as it was the place where her maternal side hailed from.

The drive from Acorn Hall had been a few hours and sitting in the SUV for so long, Arya’s body was screaming at her for relief. She drove to one of the many luxury hotels and parked. Gendry appeared confused. He’d assumed they were going to stay at another nondescript motel. Still, he said nothing and just followed Arya inside the ritzy hotel.

The receptionist at the welcome desk was smiling broadly as the new guests approached. She faltered slightly when she saw the poor state Gendry and Arya were in, but the smile never left her face. “Welcome to the Tully at Riverrun. How may I help you?”

Arya dug through one of her bags. She pulled out several stacks of cash and placed them on the desk. “How many days in a king suite can this get me?” she asked.

The receptionist raised an eyebrow. It was most unusual for anyone to pay with cash. Most people did not even know that the Tully allowed cash deposits, as most hotels required debit or credit cards. She cleared her throat and counted the money silently. There was enough for at least a week’s stay in a suite. She told Arya as much and began running the transaction. A few minutes later, Arya and Gendry were on an elevator to the 35th floor.

Arya practically kicked the door to their suite in after unlocking it. It was moderately furnished; better than normal rooms but not quite the best luxury suite. Arya was not interested in the king-sized bed or balcony. What she was more concerned about was the tub. She nearly sighed with relief when there was both a walk-in shower and a whirlpool tub big enough for two people. She walked back out of the bathroom to see Gendry standing next to the glass doors that led to the balcony. He was looking down at Riverrun below them. The sun had completely set and the city was lit up by the many buildings and streetlights.

“I’m going to get a bath,” Arya said, breaking the silence in the room. Gendry turned around to look at her. He nodded without a word. Arya went over to her bag and fished around for a few items. Then she disappeared back into the bathroom.

Gendry watched her go. It was not until he heard the water start that he noticed he could use a clean-up himself. That walk through the forest had left him sweaty and grimy. It was no surprise that the receptionist had looked at them like she did. He’d spotted the walk-in shower. There was no point in waiting for Arya to finish. He could just get a shower while she bathed. He tossed his own bag onto one of the armchairs and opened it up.

* * *

Arya sat on the edge of the tub as the water ran. She had a few bottles of special oils and ointments that were lined up on the edge of the tub. She emptied one in the water absentmindedly. Her thoughts had traveled back to Gendry. If she had wondered what his reaction to seeing her kill would have been, apparently this was it.

More silence.

She had already explained that she was an assassin. Gendry knew she killed. Seeing her in the act was quite different than the informed idea of her doing it, though. It made it real. Arya was not sure how she’d expected him to react. Retreating back into himself had not been one way she thought he would, though. Sighing, she stripped and got in the tub. She let the water run for a few more seconds before turning it off. She hummed with pleasure as she relaxed against one of the pads on the tub wall. Just as she was getting comfortable, the bathroom door opened and Gendry sauntered in, naked as the day he was born.

If there was one thing that Arya greatly appreciated about Gendry it was his complete lack of shame when it came to nudity. She was sure he saw clothes as a formality rather than a necessity. If he could go naked without any legal ramifications, he definitely would. So Arya openly ogled him while he moved about the bathroom quietly. He looked in her direction and caught sight of the water.

“Why is the water purple?”

Arya splashed the hot water a bit. “Some oils to help with the soreness,” she answered. He nodded but said nothing else. He turned away from her and made his way to the walk-in shower. Arya bit her lip while her eyes traveled down his broad shoulders to his chiseled back before landing on his perfect ass. She shook her head once he disappeared inside the shower. This was not the time to be aroused; especially if she could not act on it.

* * *

By the time Gendry finished his shower, Arya was crawling into bed. The bath had helped with the soreness she’d felt. In the morning, she would feel even better. She pulled the covers up and leaned against the oddly padded headboard of the bed.

Gendry came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. He finished drying off his face with another towel and tossed it on a luggage rack. He looked down at his hands. Whatever salve Arya had been letting him use had sped up the healing. Still, he wanted to make sure the wounds stayed clean. He went in search of more bandages. Once he found them, he noticed Arya watching him.

“Need some help?” Arya asked. Gendry nodded and sat on the edge of the bed near her. She threw the covers back and crawled over to him. Arya began wrapping his wounds, but she was tired of all the silence. “Other than your hands, are you okay?”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “I’m fine.”

Arya shook her head and finished wrapping his hands. She looked up at him, meeting his blue eyes. “Talk to me, Gendry. I know seeing me kill was...”

He leaned forward and kissed Arya into silence. “... ridiculously hot,” Gendry whispered when he pulled back. Arya’s mouth hung open is surprise. She made to speak again but instead ended up gaping like a fish out of water. Gendry chuckled and turned to face her completely. “The most I’ve been struggling with is why I found you using your legs to break someone’s neck the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Since it happened, all I’ve been thinking about is how often I’ve had those powerful legs wrapped around me and never knew how lethal they could be.”

Arya was speechless. She really had no idea what to say to that. She just watched Gendry get closer to her and before she knew it, they were kissing again. It was the kiss of two people who had not been together in a long time. When was the last time they had kissed? Before she left for her final assignments. Then everything had happened.

A simple kiss had lit the fire neither had realized had been put out. Without breaking it, Arya moved forward. Knowing what she wanted to do, Gendry wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into his lap. Arya dug her hands into his hair and pushed her body against him. Gendry squeezed her thighs before running his hands up them to grab her ass. He pulled her even closer. Arya gasped into his mouth when she felt his hardness rub against her nether lips.

Gendry chuckled. “So sensitive already,” he whispered against her lips. He slipped a hand between her spread legs. Arya wrapped her arms around Gendry’s neck when he thumb made soft contact with her clit. She ground down on his hand, searching for firmer contact. Gendry let out another dark chuckle. He kept his thumb on her clit and slipped a finger inside her. Arya’s legs quivered and she pushed down on his hand. Gendry added another finger but otherwise remained still as she fucked herself on his hand. He pushed up Arya’s shirt with his free hand and found her breast.

Arya let go of Gendry’s shoulders and yanked her shirt off to give him better access. He pinched her right nipple. Before she could admonish him, his mouth closed over the abused skin. His fingers twisted and curled inside her. Arya whimpered when she felt her climax approaching. Before she could get lost in the feeling, Gendry withdrew from her. She opened her eyes, ready to tear him a new one for leaving her high and dry. She had time to blink once and then she was on her back. She raised up on her elbows and scooted back against the headboard to meet Gendry has he crawled over her.

Their lips met feverishly again while Gendry positioned himself at her entrance. Arya wrapped her legs around him and pulled him forward. The movement sheathed him inside her in one motion. They remained still for the moment, enjoying the feeling of being connected in this way. Arya moaned when Gendry began rolling his hips forward languidly. After already teetering on the edge, Arya came pretty quickly. Her legs tightened around Gendry and that urged him on. He reached back for her left leg and lifted it higher. The angle shifted and Arya arched her back into him.

Gendry rose up on his knees. He turned Arya over and pulled her back on to him. Arya groaned as he fucked up into her. One hand went to her breast and the other went to her clit. Arya gasped and squeezed the padding to steady herself. She suddenly understood why the headboard would be padded. With the noises she was making, Gendry knew he would not last much longer. He resolved to make Arya finish before him, though. He pushed her down onto her chest, and took hold of her hips.

“Fuck!” Arya was practically sobbing. Seconds later, her walls seized around him, almost making it hard for him to move. He jackhammered into her and a minute later he stopped as deep as he could get. With a choked grunt, he came as well. He slumped down over her. Arya hummed in appreciativeness. “I missed you,” she whispered.

“I missed you, too,” he mumbled against her back.


End file.
